New Orleans five years after Katrina

Mule-drawn carriages make their way through the French Quarter. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A streetcar runs down Canal Street in the French Quarter. Five years after hurricane Katrina, some parts of the city have been restored and now are prospering once again. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Artist Max Bernardi works on a mural titled ‘New Orleans: A Canvas for the Imagination’ at the entryway of the House of Blues. The music venue and restaurant says it is home to the largest collection of folk art in the nation. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

People chat on the balcony overlooking downtown New Orleans at the Thursday-night the Ogden After Hours gathering at Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Troquetta Sam rides her bike in her driveway past her neighbor's home, which is finally being demolished. She was only 5-weeks-old when flooding from hurricane Katrina destroyed her family's home. The water rose to the rooftops in the Gentilly neighborhood. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Vacant homes for sale located in the city’s hard-hit Lower Ninth Ward near where the levee broke. Many of the houses have not been restored, though the levee has been rebuilt and strengthened. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Only the front stoop and a part of the foundation remain of this home in the Lower Ninth Ward. The home and surrounding neighborhood were destroyed when a barge broke through the nearby levee post-Katrina. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Mardi Gras masks for sale in a French Quarter shop. New Orleans is well known for the parades and other festivities that surround the pre-Lent carnival. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

A street performer draws a crowd on the stairs across from Jackson Square in the French Quarter. Tourism is up, though summer is not the high season for visitors because of the heat. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

The Smokin’ Times Jazz Club performed at the Pig ’n’ Punch event at Washington Square Park, in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The French Quarter was spared the worst of the flooding five years ago. Sarah Peterson (r.) provided vocals. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff

Krissie Marty and Bill Norris dance in Washington Square Park during a fundraiser for a local charter school's art and music program. Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff